In the summer of 2014, a dispute over drug money between two men described as best friends culminated in a tragic end in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Brian Edward Bachtel, a 38-year-old male, was killed by his friend, Stephen Hagin, then 29 years old. The incident, which occurred on June 3, 2014, was the result of an argument that escalated to violence. Hagin, who was reportedly under the influence of drugs and hallucinating at the time, shot Bachtel in the left ear with a.
410 shotgun.
Following the shooting, Hagin concealed Bachtel's body in a wooded area off Bell Creek Road. He also abandoned a borrowed car near the location where he had left his friend's remains. The act was not gang-related, despite Hagin's reported association with the Latin Kings street gang. Instead, it was portrayed as a tragic outcome of drug abuse, a problem Hagin had been struggling with since his teenage years. Hagin later expressed that he believed Bachtel was going to harm him over the unpaid drug money.
The families of both men were left to grapple with the devastating consequences. Bachtel was remembered as a loving son, husband, and father, who worked as an auto mechanic and in construction. He left behind four children and four grandchildren. Hagin, a bricklayer and general laborer, also had children who would grow up with their father incarcerated. The legal proceedings that followed brought the two families together in a Harrison County Circuit Court courtroom, where they reportedly consoled one another.
Stephen Hagin was ultimately sentenced to 40 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder. During the sentencing, he was given the opportunity to address Bachtel's family, expressing his remorse. His attorney stated that Hagin was living a nightmare, having come to the realization that he had killed his best friend. The case serves as a stark reminder of the destructive power of drug addiction, forever altering the lives of two families who were once connected by friendship.
